Bread Baking: A Tip

With the aid of the internet, I taught myself how to make homemade bread tonight.  The only trick involved convincing my dough to rise, as it turns out that “green”* decisions about heat are not conducive to dough rising.  Apparently yeast isn’t a big fan of 63.  We compromised: I stuck a towel in the dryer and wrapped my bowl up in it, and then placed the bundled bowl near a space heater.  It rose beautifully and baked up deliciously.  

*cheap

Five Good Things

1.) Our last several snows have consisted of the light, fluffy snow that is easy to brush off and like shoveling feathers. 

2.) My extended forecast includes a high temperature ABOVE freezing!  Beach day.

3.) After several rounds of phone tag, my brother and I finally got a chance to talk today.  The primary topic?  Geneology. 

4.) One of my friends is making me a delicious dinner tomorrow night.  I’m not exactly sure what it is going to be, but promised that I won’t be allergic or intolerant to anything.

5.) The beer I liked best at beer school hits the shelves at my grocery store tomorrow.  Can’t wait.  I’ll tell you more about it after I get a chance to buy some.

To Be Continued…Really?!?!

The broadcasts of today’s NFL Divisional Championship games featured a pretty even ratio of game to commercial.  While ad time during the Superbowl is widely hailed as THE commercial showcase in the US (although it’s admittedly a shell of its former self…) I do not doubt that ad space during today’s games also went for a premium. 

That being said, what I DON’T get is the Budweiser ads and their ‘to be continued February 6…” nonsense.  It’s an advertisement.  For Budweiser.  Beer.  At present, the ad plays a pair of womanly cowgirl legs walking into an old-timey, Western bar.  I’m pretty sure I know how this is going to end.  (SPOILER ALERT: With a broad getting a beer.) 

Budweiser, please focus on the Clydesdales and bring back the frogs.  You are not a very good beer and this “to be continued” stuff is not very good advertising.

Cold Weather Survival Tip: Thinking of Others

This post is inspired by 90% of status updates on facebook.  I share with you select wisdom of my mother:

1.) It is cold outside, you are correct.

2.) It is January and you live in the tundra.  What did you expect?

3.) Everyone else in the tundra is cold too.  These negative temperatures do not just affect you.

4.) Whining about the weather will neither make you any warmer nor endear you to others.  (I have been alerted that some folks feel solidarity with others and bond over the cold temps.  Fine, you might feel solidarity, but I bet you don’t feel warm.)

5.) Buck up.  Find something to do.

Cold Weather Survival Tip: Kids and Cold

Single-digit weather is not the perkiest extended forecast.  I get chronic cabin fever and my usual winter fun activities are less fun – and at a certain point unsafe – when the temperatures plummet.  Most children share that afflication with me, but there’s a point at which I suspect staying inside with the kids becomes more dangerous than streaking in -80F temps would be.  Thankfully, my extended forecast isn’t that miserable, but the next few days are more than cold enough.  Thankfully #2, I’m not working this weekend, so only have one day of ubercold to strategize.  Here are ten tips to beat the cold and the crazies from/with the kids

A Good Day

I started my new job today.  Love it.

I went to a free beer class, with generous amounts of free beer and free cheese tonight.  Love it.

Today was a good day.

Baconalia Review: Beef Bacon With Delirium Tremens

beef bacon with delirium tremens

 

Beef bacon is sort of like the East German swim team of bacon.  It’s a bit huskier, a bit hardier, and bit more muscled.  While it’s clearly a cousin of bacon, there’s not much dainty about it and you’d best not offend it in a dark alley.  Whatever though – I am much more interested in eating my bacon than in offending it.  I bought Wellshire Farms beef bacon at my local Whole Foods, so I am sure it is quite ethical.

Unlike turkey bacon, beef bacon renders plenty of fat while cooking.  It cooks down quite a lot actually and I employed some of its fat to get the turkey bacon started.  I totally save my rendered bacon fat (Baconalia 3 Plans!) and found beef bacon fat significantly huskier and muskier than normal bacon.  Since I could tell the difference by smell alone, I did not mix the fats.  What can I say?  I’m a purist of sorts.

Five Good Things

1.) As someone who enjoys football without an allegiance to a specific team, I got to enjoy some fun games (with wings) and avoided the depths of despair.  I know that some fans experienced very joyous weekends, but roughly half of them will be in the double-depths of despair next weekend.

2.) I did not get very sick from my flu shot, even though I normally do.  Hooray!

3.) My old files are almost completely reorganized.   This involves lots of recycling and prize finding.  (Where prize = gift certs for free coffee)

4.) I am back on the letter writing track.  I love writing letters to people, along with mailing random trinkets, but took several months off from doing so.  In the last month, I’ve probably mailed 2-3 things per week.  (Aside: If you think I write you a letter, please let me know – along with confirming that I know where to send it.)

5.) I get to go to bed super early tonight – like possibly 8 or 9pm.  Why?  Because I am super organized.  Seriously, the remainder of my to-do list for today is to workout and then eat the dinner I already made.

Sock Contest: A Trick

clearly he has some nordic heritage

I like clean, although I like the state of clean a lot more than I like the activity of cleaning.  Last Saturday, I invited some friends over for a potluck dinner (more on that another day, probably with pictures).  Unfortunately for me, it’s the time of year of snow and slush and salt and sand; all of which are pretty much hell on my floors.   Just as guests often bring wine or treats, their shoes often bring the quadruple floor assault.  Fortunately for me, my friends are considerate and I am tricky-smart. 

I know I can simply ask people to remove their shoes at the door.  Unfortunately, that is kind of boring and not fun, two adjectives I strive not to have associated with myself.   While I doubt no-shoes-at-my-house is news to any of my buddies, I still like to warn them ahead of time as some of my friends are fancy and coordinated and do things like think about what shoes they ought to wear with an outfit –a nd then actually remember to wear them.  Enter the sock contest.

Product Recall!

I monitor product recalls because it is my job and because I am Major General Safety.  I am going to win the war against stupid; safety is no accident. 

I get the recall notices for pretty much everything (I’m on the general list) and the recalls pertaining to children’s products twice (I’m on that list too).  Today I got a recall for pajamas, by which I mean I got it twice.  Here’s the defective product: